Englewood health officer to take $30K pay cut

ENGLEWOOD — A plan to share a health officer with another municipality was abandoned after the city’s Board of Health decided to reduce the salary of the current health officer.

City Manger Tim Dacey suggested during his preliminary budget proposal on Jan. 29 that sharing a health office would save approximately $50,000 and $75,000.

The Englewood Board of Health, however, presented Dacey with an alternative plan to reduce Health Officer Nelson Xavier Cruz’s salary after becoming concerned sharing the position would significantly disrupt services. The alternative plan was discussed for the first time in public during the board of health’s March 13 budget review.

Although Dacey originally wanted to cut $60,000 from the department’s budget, he agreed to cut $28,000 from Cruz’s salary, bringing it from $127,000 to $99,000.

The pay cut would come into effect on Aug. 1 after Cruz’s contract expires in July.

The board of health voted unanimously to accept the $28,000 reduction during a closed session meeting on Feb. 13, said Lisa Wisotsky, president of the board of health. Cruz agreed to the reduction during this meeting, said Wisotsky.

The board and the city manager’s office looked at competing health officer salaries in the area and found Cruz was paid higher than most, said Wisotsky.

Cruz said the move was an "illegal" salary reduction and was troubled that he was singled out from all the city’s departments, as he is the only Hispanic department head in the city administration.

"Specifically, the planned reduction of my salary by the city manager is in violation of New Jersey Law Against Discrimination," Cruz said.

Dacey said he cannot comment on the board of health’s decision. City Attorney William Bailey did not return call for comment.

Wisotsky previously met with Teaneck’s health officer at the city’s suggestion to explore shared services, but found that it is unfeasible. The current Teaneck health officer works four days a week and told Wisotsky that if there was an emergency, Teaneck is his priority over Englewood.

The Teaneck department also is smaller than Englewood’s and contracts out many of its nursing and health education services to Holy Name Hospital, said Wisotsky.

Englewood’s health department currently has its staff provide these services in-house.

Dacey said that the city wasn't looking to share services in just Teaneck specifically, but was looking to share a health officer in general.

"There are 70 municipalities in Bergen County and 65 of them share a health officer," said Dacey.

A study complied by board of health members Lisa Levien and Ketsia Alerte Sadler after speaking with many neighboring towns, including Hackensack, Saddle River and Palisades Park, found that municipalities are unwilling to take on Englewood’s health department due to high level of service the city provides, said Levien during the board’s Feb. 13 meeting.

Wisotsky said the only way shared services could work is if the Englewood health officer were shared with a smaller municipally, such as Englewood Cliffs, on a limited basis.

The board is currently hoping to contact some of the smaller surrounding towns around Englewood to see if the city could pick them up, said Wisotsky.